Abstract
This study aimed to investigate whether depression is associated with quality of life and development of complications in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Seventy-two Japanese patients with RA and 59 age-were registered along with sex-matched patients with connective tissue disease without RA as control subjects. We assessed clinical parameters and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), and Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey Version 2 (SF-36v2). Further, we evaluated the degree of development of complications during 1-year observation in RA patients. SDS scores were not significantly elevated in RA patients compared with the control subjects. However, 17 patients with RA showed high SDS scores (＞49). SF-36 summary mental scores (MSC) (standard correlation coefficients ［B］＝－0.546, P＜0.001), physical scores (PSC) (B＝－0.483, P＜0.001), and degree of joint pain (B＝0.335, P＝0.031) were independently associated with SDS in RA patients. We classified RA patients into 3 groups graded by baseline SDS scores. A significant difference between the degree of development of complications in the 3 groups was seen when the whole period of follow up was compared with Kaplan-Maier analysis and log rank test (P＝0.019). We conclude that depression is closely associated with QOL and development of complications in patients with RA.
